Kelowna woman accused of threatening life of teen hockey player boyfriend

James Keller, The Canadian Press01.22.2014

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja McLaughlin, 25, a Canadian news reporter, appeared Tuesday in Benton County District Court in Washington on an investigative hold for felony threat. McLaughlin is alleged to have made the threats while talking on the phone with Jackson Playfair, 19, a forward with the WHL Tri-City Americans.Jackson Playfair
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja McLaughlin, 25, a Canadian news reporter, appeared Tuesday in Benton County District Court in Washington on an investigative hold for felony threat. McLaughlin is alleged to have made the threats while talking on the phone with Playfair's son Jackson, 19, a forward with the WHL Tri-City Americans.Jackson Playfair
/ Facebook

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, 25, of Kelowna, was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, age 25, of Kelowna, who was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.Twitter photo
/ .

Tieja MacLaughlin, age 25, of Kelowna, who was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, age 25, of Kelowna, who was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, age 25, of Kelowna, who was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, age 25, of Kelowna, who was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

Tieja MacLaughlin, age 25, of Kelowna, who was arrested on Saturday in Kennewick, Wash., over allegations she threatened to kill her boyfriend, a junior hockey player for the Tri-City Americans.@Tieja_Mac
/ Twitter

None of the allegations contained in court documents or outlined publicly by Kennewick police have been tested in court, and she has not been charged. She appeared in court Tuesday and was held without bail, according to the documents.

According to a court document outlining the reason for MacLaughlin's detention, Playfair called police early Saturday morning.

He told police he had been in a relationship with MacLaughlin since last July, but the relationship had been rocky, the document said.

"Tieja found out the victim cheated on her and she told him over the phone that she was on her way to Kennewick," the arresting officer wrote on the document. "During that phone call, Tieja advised the victim that he would be dead by the end of the night."

The document said MacLaughlin denied making the threats after her arrest on Saturday. The court confirmed she had been assigned a public defender. The Benton County public defender's office did not return a call seeking comment.

The victim in the document is identified only as a player for the Tri-City Americans, but Kennewick police spokesman Mike Blatman confirmed Playfair's identity.

Playfair is originally from Fort St. James, according to biographical information on the team's website. He is the son of Phoenix Coyotes associate coach Jim Playfair, and his brother, Austyn Playfair, was signed to the Americans last year.

A spokesperson for the Tri-City Americans said neither Playfair nor the team would be commenting.

MacLaughlin is a freelance reporter for Castanet, an online news website based in Kelowna, and has also written for the Kelowna Daily Courier. Two addresses are listed for her in court documents, one in Kelowna and one in Paris, Ont.

Blatman said MacLaughlin had travelled to Kennewick from the Ontario town.

"She got here and apparently there was some sort of a falling out between the two of them, where she became upset that he might have been involved in some other relationship," Blatman said in an interview.

Blatman said MacLaughlin ended up staying in a hotel room for the night, but continued to contact Playfair, prompting him to call police.

He said officers contacted MacLaughlin and she agreed to leave Playfair alone.

"She agreed to do that, said she wouldn't make any contact with him or anything else," Blatman said.

"Between that time and the next morning, there were a substantial number of text messages she continued to send Playfair."

Blatman said MacLaughlin was arrested Saturday. She can be held without charge for up to 72 hours after her Tuesday court appearance.

A profile for MacLaughlin on the social networking site LinkedIn says she is a reporter for Castanet and the Kelowna Daily Courier. Stories with her byline have appeared in both publications, as recently as this month.

A Twitter account that appears to be maintained by MacLaughlin suggests she may have crossed the border into the United States last Friday.

"If I had a dollar for every time a U.S. customs officer chirped my truck, I'd be able to buy a new truck," says a tweet from the user Tieja—Mac.

A Radio-Canada reporter has been arrested for alleged criminal harassment while pursuing the subject of a story. According to Radio-Canada, reporter Antoine Trépanier was arrested Tuesday night by Gatineau police. He was released on a promise to appear in court. Trépanier was called by Gatineau police Tuesday evening and an officer requested that he come […]

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